Wheel.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. ASHLEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK.

WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,231, dated February25, 1902.

Application filed November 30, 1901- Serial No. 84,233. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN T. ASHLEY, a citizen oftheUnited States, andaresident of New York, Brooklyn borough, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWheels, which improvements are fully set forth in the followingspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in structures of that classcommonly known as wheels, the same being employed 'for various purposesand extensively used in connection with traction-vehicles, aslocomotives, cars, and the like; and the object of my invention is toprovide a wheel which shall be simple, inexpensive, and novel as regardsconstruction, which shall embody a novel balancing distribution of thematerial of the peripheral member thereof, whereby in practical servicea maximum efficiency of the wheel as a whole is insured, which shall bedurable and reliable in operation, and which shall possess certainwell-defined advantages over prior analagous structures. I attain thefore going objects by employing certain novel features of constructionwhich are clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where-- insimilar numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and asto which-=- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a diametrical section taken asalong the line a a of Fig. 1.

My invention consists in providing a wheel-center, so called, with aperipheral member novel as to form,and whereby marked advantages aregained in the practical operation of the wheel as a whole, and incertain details of construction, all of which will be specificallyreferred to hereinafter, and set forth in the appended claims.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings, as there illustrated myimproved wheel comprises a hub 2 and spokes 3, these respective partsbeing of any approved external contour and construction and formed as aunit or in segments, to be thereafter duly assembled, as in commonpractice and as by the well-known process of casting, the said partsconstitutingthe wheel-center, so called. Where it is desired to impartto the wheel as a whole the character of a drivingwheel, a crank member4 may be formed adjacent to the hub 2 in the'process of casting thewheel-center, as will be readily understood. The hub 2 is provided withthe usual opening 5 to receive an axle, shaft, or the like, and wherethe crank member 4 is embodied in the construction of the wheel-centerthis may also be provided with a suitable opening, as 6, to receive theusual crank-pin.

7 denotes the peripheral member of my improved wheel, and this possessesnovelty in that it varies continuously in radial thickness, the samehavingan arc of maximum radial thickness, as at 8, and therefromdiminishing continuously in radial thickness in opposite directions toand forming an arc of minimum radial thickness, as 9, here shown aslocated diametrically opposite the said are of'maximum radial thickness.

It will be understood that the elements of the respective side surfacesof the peripheral member of my improved wheel need not nec essarily beregular or conform to any definite geometrical figure, and the same istrue of the continuous elements of the inner surface of the peripheralmember of my improved wheel or that surface lying next to thewheel-center, though as to the latter surface I prefer that it comprisecontinuous lines or elements conforming to a true circle whose center islocated out of the axis of the wheel proper and within a radius thereof,substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When theinner surface of the peripheral member of my improved wheel is thusformed, the said member will uniformly and continuously vary in thematter of radial thickness from its arc of maximum radial thickness inopposite directions to its arc of minimum radial thickness aforenamed.

\Vhere it is desired to employ the wheel in too such a wheel mustnecessarily be more or less intermittent or irregular, and when employedas in connection with a locomotive this intermittentor irregularmovement is not only injuriously communicated to the car or carsattached to such locomotive, but results in needless friction betweensaid wheel and the track-rail along which it moves, such friction takingthe form of so-called ham merblows or pounding, and accordinglyresulting in unnecessary wear on the flanged rim of the wheel andlikewise on the track-rail along which the wheel moves. My improvedwheel, in which the balancing material is distributed continuously alongthe peripheral member thereof, substantially as shown in the drawings,effectually overcomes the foregoing objections, for the reason that inoperation its peripheral member glides, as it were, into and out of itscenter of gravity, thus insuring for said Wheel a high degree ofuniformity or regularity in its movement, and the efficiency of thewheel is accordingly enhanced.

It will be observed that my improved wheel may be modified to someextent, particularly as regards the continuous lines of the innersurface of the peripheral member thereof, without materially departingfrom the spirit and principle of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1: A wheel of the class herein described comprisinga wheel-center and a peripheral member, the latter mounted on theformer, and continuously varying in radial thickness, substantially asherein specified.

2. A wheel of the. class herein described comprising a wheel-center anda peripheral member, the latter mounted on the former, and having aninner surface the continuous elements of which are lines conformingsubstantially to a true circle whose center is away from the axis of thewheel proper and within a radius thereof, substantially as hereinspecified.

JOHN T. ASHLEY. Witnesses:

W. H. R BY, DINAH STANDER.

